Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson is set to be announced as the new Chicago Bears head coach, according to multiple reports.
Johnson was one of at least 17 candidates for the role and will take over a Bears team that finished bottom of the NFC North this season, despite winning four of their first six games.
Chicago (5-12) lost 10 straight after its promising start, including a 23-20 defeat at Detroit on Thanksgiving Day that led to the firing of coach Matt Eberflus on November 29 and saw Thomas Brown become interim coach for the remainder of the season.
Johnson spent three seasons as Detroit’s offensive coordinator under Dan Campbell and helped turn Jared Goff into one of the NFL’s best quarterbacks, with the 38-year-old widely considered the top head-coaching candidate on the market.
The Bears confirmed interviewing 17 candidates. That list included former Seattle Seahawks coach Pete Carroll, former Green Bay Packers and Dallas Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy and former Tennessee Titans coach Mike Vrabel, who got the job as head coach of the New England Patriots.
Johnson set for Bears challenge
The Lions earned the top seed in the NFC at 15-2 before getting stunned by Jayden Daniels and the Washington Commanders in a divisional playoff game on Saturday. Detroit led the league in points per game and finished second in yards passing and total yards per game during the regular season.
The development of quarterback Caleb Williams will be the top priority for Johnson in the wake of the Bears’ fourth straight losing season. The No 1 pick in last year’s draft threw for 3,541 yards, 20 touchdowns and six interceptions. But he was sacked a franchise-record and league-leading 68 times.
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Highlights of Washington Commanders at Detroit Lions in the NFL playoffs divisional round
Johnson had strong praise for Williams before the Lions faced the Bears in Week 16, saying: “There’s no question that this guy is talented. I remember standing on the sideline last game and you can hear the ball whistle by you.
“He’s got quite a fastball and has some creativity to him, can extend plays and is accurate down the field as well. Like I said, I haven’t really dove in and can tell you much more beyond that, but he’s been impressive from afar.”
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Take a look at the best trick plays from the Detroit Lions in the 2024 NFL season, including Jared Goff catching touchdowns, lateral passes and even fake fumbles
Chicago has just three playoff appearances since the 2006 team won the NFC, while their lone Super Bowl title came during the 1985 season. The Bears have not won a postseason game since the 2010 team advanced to the conference title game under Lovie Smith.
The Bears came into this season looking for a playoff spot after making some high-profile moves in the offseason, highlighted by Williams’ arrival and a blockbuster trade with the Los Angeles Chargers for six-time Pro Bowl receiver Keenan Allen.
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Speaking on the Inside the Huddle podcast, Neil Reynolds and Jeff Reinebold reflected on the progress of Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams in the opening weeks of the NFL season
Their season went off the rails after a 4-2 start, leading them to fire a head coach during a season for the first time when they removed Eberflus following a series of poor late-game decisions. They also fired an offensive coordinator for the second time in less than a year, with Shane Waldron lasting just nine games after replacing Luke Getsy.
Brown, who began the season as passing game coordinator, took over for Waldron and then became interim coach a few weeks later. His only win as head coach came against the Green Bay Packers in the final match of the regular season.
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